Rabbi
Doniel Staum, LMSW
Rabbi,
Kehillat New Hempstead
Social
Worker, Yeshiva Bais Hachinuch/Ashar
STAM
TORAH
PARSHAS
TERUMAH 5773
“YOUTHFUL
EXUBERANCE”
Rabbi Mendel Kaplan zt’l was a beloved
educator, legendary for his ability to forge deep connection with his student
and developing a love and passion for Torah and Avodas Hashem. However, when he
first arrived in a Yeshiva high school in Chicago
from Europe in 1946 he looked a bit lost.
My Rebbe, Rabbi Berel Wein, was one of the
talmidim present when Rav Mendel arrived that first day. Rav Mendel had little
connection to the mentality and outlook of American boys, aside from the fact
that he hardly spoke a word of English. The boys told their parents they didn’t
think the new Rebbe would last long.
Rav Mendel however, was not one to be
daunted. The next day he walked into shiur with a copy of that day’s Chicago
Tribune tucked under his arm. The class was stunned as he pulled it out and
announced, “Today you will teach me English and I am going to teach you how to
read a newspaper.” After the class recovered from disbelief, Rav Mendel began
one of the most unique discourses ever given in a Yeshiva. The boys read the
stories in English very slowly while Rav Mendel followed along with his index finger
on the place, just as he did when he learned Gemara. The boys who knew some
Yiddish struggled to translate what they were reading.
At the conclusion of each article Rav
Mendel would interpret the events from a Torah vantage point as only an erudite
Torah scholar could. By the end of the day Rav Mendel learned over fifty American
idioms and a fair amount of English grammar. At the same time his students
learned philosophic and Talmudic themes that underlie contemporary worldly
events.
Every day after that, the pattern repeated
itself. They taught their Rebbe how to speak English and he taught them about
life. By the end of the semester he had learned English and his students
learned that Gemara was much more than an ancient text[1].
It is no easy task to construct the House
of G-d. G-d instructed Moshe about the minutest detail that was to be adhered
to with utmost precision when constructing the Mishkan. Each vessel had to be
built with painstaking exactness utilizing the proper materials.
The Aron[2]
was to be placed in the Holy of Holies. It was to be constructed out of Shittim
wood, and placed into a larger box constructed out of pure gold. Then, a small
gold box was placed inside the wooden box, completely covering the wooden box with
gold. On top of the Aron were the two Cherubim chiseled out of pure gold. “You
shall make two Keruvim out of gold- hammered out you shall make them- from both
ends of the cover.[3]”
Ba’al Haturim notes that when the Torah
writes the word Keruvim in this verse it is without the letter vov so that the
word can be read as ‘kiravim’ which, in Aramaic, means children. The Gemara[4]
notes that the Keruvim were actually golden images of two young children facing
each other. Ba’al Haturim makes reference to a verse in Hoshea[5]
“Ki na’ar Yisroel v’ohavo- For
Yisroel is a youth and therefore I love them.”
Our society idolizes youth because our culture
values vigor and aesthetic beauty above all else. But we can hardly attribute
such shallowness to G-d. What does the prophet mean that G-d love us because of
our youthfulness?
The Alter from Kelm, Rabbi Simcha Zissel
Ziv zt’l, quotes Rabbi Yisroel Salanter zt’l who explained that the greatness
of youth lies in a child’s willingness to learn. A child feels somewhat lost in
the world around him and is constantly trying to make sense out of everything
going on. Any parent with young children is familiar with the constant
badgering of curiosity, questions of When? Why? What? When? and How? Unlike most
adults who are constantly tired, a child generally will resist being put to
sleep at night[6].
A child is filled with such curiosity and does not want to stop exploring,
probing, and learning.
G-d loves us, Klal Yisroel, because we
possess that sense of wonderment and excitement for Torah and mitzvos. To us
the ancient texts remain exciting and engaging, as we constantly seek new
insights from the same passages we have learned tens of times. Like children
who can’t satiate their sense of wonder, Klal Yisroel passionately studies
Torah, pining for yet another novel interpretation and insight[7].
Rabbi Shmuel Rozovsky zt’l adds that the
Torah concludes its discussion about the Aron by stating that G-d’s voice will
resonate from atop the Aron, as it were. “It is there that I will set my
meetings with you from atop the cover, from between the two Keruvim that are on
the Ark
Douglas MacArthur quipped that, “Youth is
not a time of life; it’s a state of mind!” A person can be chronologically old
and yet be ‘old’ in the sense that he has lost his passion to grow and learn.
On the other hand, someone can be older and yet still possess the fountain of
youth, because they haven’t lost their ambition.
A number of years ago, Rabbi Yissocher
Frand was one of the featured lecturers at a Destiny Foundation event[9].
Rabbi Frand began his speech by expressing his admiration for Rabbi Wein. Even
after decades of accomplishments as a Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi, author, and lecturer
in America
Indeed, that is the symbol of youth.
The holiday of Purim is a celebration of
rebirth and renewed passion. When Klal Yisroel recognized G-d’s Hand
orchestrating the ‘coincidental’ events that led to Haman’s downfall, they were
filled with a renewed vim and vigor for Torah and Mitzvos.
Perhaps that is part of the reason why there
was a national reacceptance of the Torah at the time of the Purim miracle[10].
The voice of G-d can be heard only by those who contain the alacrity,
excitement, and passion of youth, as symbolized by the Keruvim. On Purim when
Klal Yisroel attained a renewal of those emotions on a national scale, it was
inevitable that they would also merit a renewed connection and dedication to Torah.
“I will set my meetings with you from between
the two Keruvim”
“For Yisroel is a youth and therefore I
love them”
[1] Vintage
Wein, by Dr. J. Weiss
[2] Holy Ark
[3] 25:18
[4] Succah
5b
[5] 11:1
[6] Every
parent of young children is more than familiar with bedtime battles…
[7] It never
ceases to amaze me that there are constantly new seforim published with novel
insights. When Daf Yomi commences a new tractate, a plethora of new
commentaries and elucidations suddenly surface. Similarly, before every holiday
every single year tens of new books are published with fresh insights and
observations about the holiday.
[8] 25:22
[9] The
Destiny Foundation was founded by Rabbi Berel Wein
[10] see
Gemarah Shabbos 86a
_________________________________________________________
“RABBI’S MUSINGS (& AMUSINGS)”
Erev Shabbos Kodesh Parshas Terumah
5 Adar 5773/February 15, 2013
Once upon a time, when you wanted to go somewhere, you needed to first find out directions from someone who knew the way. You would try to speak with someone who was proficient with roads, knew traffic patterns, and which was the best route to take. Then, a few years ago, Mapquest, followed by Google Maps, came into vogue which maps out the route for you. All you had to do was print it out and take it along.
And then came the GPS! No longer does anyone need to know anything more than the destination address. Just plug it in and voila! Follow the little car on the screen. In the words of Rus, “Where you go I will go.” It not only tells you how to get there, it tells you how long it should take, how fast you are going, and what the approaching roads look like.
Much has been written about the GPS and the many lessons to be derived from it. But I wish to speak about a seemingly insignificant accessory to the GPS - the holder upon which the GPS is mounted. It may not seem to be too important but I have learned that without it relying on the GPS can be dangerous.
Recently, the holster which secured our GPS to our dashboard broke. Now whenever I need to use our GPS it becomes an arduous process of trying to balance it in a way that it won’t fall. But no matter how I position it, invariably within a short time it falls off the dashboard, leaving me at a total loss of where to go next. So here is this amazing piece of technology replete with all the information I need to get to where I am going, and I can’t access any of it, because it has fallen beyond my view.
In our advanced society we have been blessed with many resources to help us learn Torah and do mitzvos with convenience and ease. The drawback is that oftentimes when it’s too accessible and available we don’t feel a pressing need to invest the effort to internalize that wisdom and knowledge. After all, it’s right there whenever we need it. It’s like having a GPS not fastened to the windshield. It will do nothing for you if you don’t have it on display where you can constantly refer to it.
A navigation system can only guide you if you are watching its instruction and following its lead. The captain who keeps his compass in his pocket could have just left it at home.
The Torah is there for the taking. “It is not distant from you... For the matter is very close to you, in your mouth and in your heart to do it.” But only if you keep it in view.
In conclusion I should add that I don’t have the EZ pass stickers on my car either. But that’s a whole separate issue.
Shabbat Shalom & Good Shabbos,
R’ Dani and Chani Staum
720 Union Road • New Hempstead, NY 10977 • (845) 362-2425
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